Chlorophyll biomass in the global oceans: satellite retrieval using inherent optical properties

In the upper layer of the global ocean, 2082 in situ chlorophyll biomass values <Chl> are retrieved by concurrent satellite-derived inherent optical properties (IOP). It is found that (1) the phytoplankton absorption coefficient IOP alone does not provide satisfactory (Chl) retrieval; (2) the chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) absorption coefficient IOP must also be used to obtain satisfactory retrieval through <Chl> proportional to alpha(ph) + palpha(CDOM) where p is a constant and alpha(ph) and alpha(CDOM), are, respectively, the phytoplankton and CDOM absorption coefficients; (3) the IOP-based <Chl> retrieval performance is comparable to standard satellite reflectance ratio retrievals (that have CDOM absorption intrinsically embedded within them); (4) inclusion of the total backscattering coefficient IOP does not contribute significantly to <Chl> retrieval; and (5) the new IOP-based algorithm may provide the possibility for future research to establish the actual role of extracellular CDOM from all sources in the intracellular production of chlorophyll biomass.